Recently science has proved that most of the health problems are due to STRESS. Sometimes ,when you go to see a doctor you wonder what the doctor says:

Headache         - Stress
Stomach-ache   - Stress
Sleepless Night  - Stress
Back-ache         - Stress
Neck-ache         - Stress
Indigestion       - Stress

The only remedy you get from a doctor is -a pain killer or for severe pain a dose of sleeping tablet.

All of us know that this is only a temporary relief, as the effect of the medicine fades away, the pain comes back. How can you get rid of this problem forever? What is causing the STRESS? The lifestyle in this world does not allow the body or mind to relax for even a minute. Stress at work, at home and even on the road due to traffic. How can we escape from this stress? The answer is MEDITATION. When we say meditation, a patient's immediate reaction is "How can i do meditation? I cannot concentrate. I'm in pain. I'm not a Rishi or sanyasi to do meditation."

It is true. Meditation does not mean that you have to pray to God with full concentration and you should not feel your body or the things around you and you should reach God.

One of the main intellectual problems people of any age complain is a lack of concentration. Often people allow their thoughts to wander, especially when they are not trying to solve a particular problem. Even with a specific objective in mind, thoughts tend to lack coherence, like a bunch of monkeys jumping around from branch to branch in a tree, stopping occasionally to scratch themselves. This kind of mental activity uses up a lot of your vital energy. Like your body , your mind needs to stop now and then to take a rest. Meditation is the best way for full mental and physical relaxation and to regain lost energy. When you mind is unstable even minor emotional problems can become highly destructive and can have a very negative impact on your health, which causes the stress leading to all kinds of physical and mental pains.

Therefore it is so important to learn how to control your thoughts through concentration. As you practice concentrating, you will eventually experience what spiritual masters call inner quietude- a clear serene state of mind that helps you turn off your thought machine. Knowing how to do that can vastly improve your quality of life in a variety of ways.

First by putting an end to the negative thought patterns that undermine your confidence, will power, motivation etc. By developing your concentration you need to accumulate more and more mental and vital energy.

Second, by practising concentration allows you to exercise more control over your life. Your actions, from the simplest to the most complex, will become much more precise and effective and you will improve your performance in all areas.

Some people are fearful of trying to improve their powers of concentration. It really is not difficult as it may seem. Just make sure to proceed in small steps, at your own pace. As soon as you begin experiencing the sense of physical and mental wellbeing that proper concentration can provide, you wont need anymore convincing!

Exercise 1

Start with a very simple exercise .Do it anywhere you like-all you need is a clock or a watch with a second hand.

• Concentrate on the watch or the clock.

• Without making any special effort , watch the second hand moving for a few seconds.

• When one minute has gone by, start following the second hand with your eyes very attentively. Dont let your gaze wander at all.

• At the same time, concentrate so you don't let any outside thoughts disturb you. You don't have to fight to think, just refocus your mind on the second hand every time a new thought enters your head.

• Keep this up for a few minutes. As you do you'll have the impression that the second hand is slowing down( it might even appear to stop!)

• If you find you have become lost in a daydream, start the exercise all over again.

You might not last very long on your first attempt. Don't worry. Just try to gradually lengthen your state of inner silence each time you repeat the exercise. Think of it as a kind of game.

Courtesy: Newsletter from London Sathsangam